A Long Way Gone Book Reviews

AUTHOR
Ishmael Beah
SCORE
4.5
TOTAL RATINGS
1,237

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah Book Summary

In A Long Way Gone Ishmael Beah tells a riveting story in his own words: how, at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts.

My new friends have begun to suspect I haven't told them the full story of my life.
"Why did you leave Sierra Leone?"
"Because there is a war."
"You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?"
"Yes, all the time."
"Cool."
I smile a little.
"You should tell us about it sometime."
"Yes, sometime."

This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. Children have become soldiers of choice. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.

What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived.

This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.

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Book Name A Long Way Gone
Genre Biographies & Memoirs
Published
Language English
E-Book Size 892.4 KB

A Long Way Gone (Ishmael Beah) Book Reviews 2024

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Amazing. This book really gets you thinking on how lucky we all are.

Amazing. Powerful Story

A Long Way Gone. This book is by far one of the most gripping and heart wrenching stories I have ever read. I first heard the author speak on a podcast and knew I needed to read this book. It would be fantastic if there were a way to make this into a movie. This tale must be shared with the entire world so that the world may change. No child should ever have to experience the extreme hardships that young Ishmael and his brothers and sisters had to endure. His story is a testament to the strength of the soul. Thank God for his second life! And thank you Ishmael for sharing your story.

Great book!. 👊🏽🥇

Review. Great biographical perspective on war the greatest memoir I have ever read

Great book. Great book after reading it my life n views on certain things would never be the same.

Amazing story. This book is the best book i have read in my entire life, and im not saying this to exaggerate. This story is amazing and i could not put the book down. I loved it so much i actually read it in less than two days! This book needs to be read by everyone and i will be sure to recommend it to lots of people! :)

Perspective. Such perspective, everyone would benefit from reading this book. At times it is hard to relate to his detached method of telling his story... Although more of his feelings may have rendered the book less instructive... Many questions are left unanswered. But answers in trauma come slowly.

Love it. This book is perfect for a class learning about life as a child soldier fighting against the rebels and gave detailed parts, very good book

Wow. This book is life changing.

A Long Way Gone. This is a captivating book, a true personal narrative of a boy soldier during the Sierra Leone civil wars. Ishmael incongruously writes in impeccable and lyrical English about the unspeakable atrocities he witnessed - and committed - while trying to survive the brutal fighting that overwhelmed his country. That he was able to overcome the emotional and physical toll it placed on him is a testament to his strength and spirit and also to the compassion of the many people who helped him find redemption. Reading this book will give anyone a stronger appreciation for their own good fortune.

Wonderful. I loved this book. Didn't want it to end.

A must read. I had to read this book for an English class and at first I thought that I would not enjoy it. However once I started reading it I could not put it down.

We I w. I

Great Book!. Thank you Ishmael for sharing your story!

Wow. Wow. Wow.. Wow is all I can really say. I'm going to be a sophomore in high school and this was my summer reading book. It has taught me so much and to appreciate every thing life gives me. This is easily the best book I've ever read. 100% recommend this to any young readers.

loved it!. A great book, and wonderful (despite heart-breaking) insight into the challenges of living with war and recovering from it. One of my favorite books and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the "memoirs of a boy soldier."

Gud. Gud

A Long Way Gone. This book could quite possibly be the best book I have ever read. I guarantee anyone who reads this book will be changed forever.

One of the few things that made me cry. We decided to read this in my 11th grade English Class. Just reading this is depressing, but It was told well enough that I couldn't put it down. If you want to know about the Afghan War and how it affected people, read this.

Excellent read. I love it and would encourage any parent with ungrateful children to read this and appreciate the little things in life

Very Touching. This story caused me to tear up a good 5 times at least. It really feels like Ishmael takes you along with him through his journey. Very sad but has a happy ending. I enjoyed this book.

So great. I had to read this book for a project for school and I finished it in two days I couldn't stop reading!

Simply riveting!. A truly remarkable story. I'm at a loss for words.

Wow. I had to read this for an English class and I'm proud to say that I actually really enjoyed it

A must read. At times this book was so heavy with war… but it is a true story and I guess that is how Africa feels. It isn’t exactly an enjoyable read but I appreciate the insight and would like to know more of his story.

A Book everyone should read. It's terribly sad and devastating but gives a new perspective of foreign wars. Ishmael Beah wrote it beautifully and realistically, especially for it being written in his second language. Amazing story that will stay with me forever.

A Long Way Gone. Remarkable. As a 30 year old father living in Oklahoma much of this book is tough to comprehend. While it makes me grateful for the life I have been afforded, it reminds me that at the end of the day the World is small and we have to duty to understand humanity as a whole and do what we can to make it better. Nothing is too small. Ishmael is roughly my age, and has lived ten time the life.... This book is a must read and hopefully it reminds every reader how precious family and friends are.

Incredible!. What a truly horrifying and amazing memoir. It's staggering to think things like this are still happening in the world today.....

A Long Way Gone. This book was absolutely amazing!

Great. Reading this for my 9th grade English class; its tragic but a really good book

fire. fire

So Inspiring. When I started to read this book. I could not put it down! I wanted to learn everything. And Ishmael helped us to visualize the life of a child soldier in Sierra Leone in that time. His childhood was stolen from him! He lost his family! But he was able to still live through everything to tell a story that will remind me that I shouldn’t complain! Wonderful read!

Amazing!. Loved it!

A long way gone. It was one of the best books I have ever read. The horror of the war stories combined with the emotions in the rehabilitation made the book award worthy.

Best book ever. In my language arts class I started to read this it's a great book I'm so excited to be finished it is a story that has me hooked unable to stop reading great job Ishmael beah sad but good book MUST READ this is a pretty graphic book I'm In 7th grade I stopped a few times to prepare myself predicting what will happen

Great book!!. Really helps you understands there's a whole another world out there and this tells you that not everything is a happy place. This book helped me learn that to be grateful for what I have and never take anything for granted

Outstanding & depressing. This is a very great book ! I'm reading this with my group and I just have to say everyone should have a chance to actually read this book . It's so interesting at the same time it's sad because it's like what if you were in the situation .. But You should get this book !

A Must-Read For Everyone. This book is tragic, horrific, and disturbing, but the book really makes you appreciate the beauties in your own life. The fact that the events in this book really happened makes me want to throw up, but it's something that the world needs to know. Read it now!

Overall Good Book With Nice Story. The story was great but just way too long, I lost attention a few times and just didn’t wanna read past a point. It wasn’t a bad book though, but I wouldn’t read it twice.

Very heart wrenching. I wasnt sure at first how good the book was going to be but I must say not only did I cry so much I could not put this book down! My heart & prayers goes out to this young man and to all the children still suffering from War.

Its pretty good. It was often sad and depressing and not a very conclusive ending, but was good but also very gorry and violent

Mind changer. Great book to read

Great. Absolutely amazing book

Awesome!. This is an awesome book! I would encourage all youth to read this book. This book contains so many ideas you can learn from. One out of the many I found was never take life for granted! Awesome,awesome,awesome book!

Perspective. I'm thankful for survivors like Ishmael who are willing to tell their story. As disturbing as it is, it's an important part of African history (and, sadly, present-day in some regions) and he does a great job relaying the horrors of war while still painting a picture of the many beautiful and authentic people that call it home. While searching for updates on Ishmael, I did come across (and read fully) the controversy surrounding some facts within this book. It seems the date of a key battle is a big sticking point and, while I agree there's a large gap between 2 years vs 2 months, even if the author did "only" spend 2 months as a child soldier, is that any less tragic? Would any of those criticizing him send their preteen/teenage son into a war as brutal as this because it was "only" 2 months? So, dispute the details all you want, I've been following news of kids like Ishmael since May 2002 and his is a well-told account of a violent story that's already been corroborated by numerous other victims of wars in Africa. Do we really need "proof" of his particular version in order to believe such a tragic injustice took place? I believe his critics have woefully missed the point. Praise and best wishes to the author. I truly appreciate hearing his perspective of events, and the story of his childhood certainly gave me "perspective" of my own!

I don't like many books but. This book is my all time favorite every time I read it it feels real and it's extremely easy to get sucked into it, if you like intense books this is the best.

A long way gone. I think every body should read this book so that they can get an understanding of what these children have went through and how they recovered from these devastating events

Great book. I really liked it

This Book. This book was absolutely amazing, it really did alter my views on how African children suffered due to the civil issues surrounding there life style. You dive in and find yourself with a book that you feel connected with, and you cannot put it down. I definitely recommend this book as a school read, or just a simple book to enjoy. Life altering really is.

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Summary of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

The A Long Way Gone book written by Ishmael Beah was published on 01 April 2007, Sunday in the Biographies & Memoirs category. A total of 1,237 readers of the book gave the book 4.5 points out of 5.

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